This White Paper is about how to create and win new business. The subject of “creating” new business is so important in long term success – and yet it is easy to feel that it is just too hard.

1. How to Create
andWin New
Business
WHITE PAPER

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UNDERSTANDINGTHE CUSTOMER’S
COMPLETE BUYING PROCESS
As we know from our account planning methodologies,
we must first make sure that we have spent enough time
gaining the right kind of information about our key accounts
or customers to make sure that we understand such critical
strategic business issues as:
• Revenue pressures – are they a
success or failure?
• Growth strategies – are they a
success or failure?
• Impact of current economic
conditions – for example, are
recession or currency issues
playing a role?
• Competitive advantages/changes/
disadvantages
How to Create andWin New Business
INTRODUCTION
ThisWhite Paper is about how to create and win new
business. The subject of ‘creating’new business is so
important in long term success – and yet it is easy to
feel that it is just too hard.
Why is it hard?Well, as we will share, that’s because it
means being a little schizophrenic at times – by that we
mean that as sales people, our DNA is about focusing
on deals – but to use the fishing analogy – we have to
learn to‘cast our net further upstream’to have the best
opportunities to work on.
As with any of ourWhite Papers, there will be a
big variance in the seniority and experience of the
readership. Some of you will perhaps be in your first
managerial role, looking to focus on what’s really
important in the deal. Others may be more seasoned
sales leaders, at Director, Managing Partner orVP
level, tuning in to make sure you’re in step with the
latest thinking and technologies. ThisWhite Paper
aims to provide something for the complete range of
requirements, since the ideas and recommendations
have applicability right up the leadership hierarchy.
However, if you want to dig deeper, or move wider, we
urge you to get in touch with us individually. You can
do this via email to: info@thetasgroup.com.
ThisWhite Paper will cover 4 key areas: first – you
have to understand the customer’s buying process.
Second – you need to pick the best targets. Third –You
have to know how to‘project sell’in order to create
the compelling event that will then turn this into a
sales opportunity for you. Fourth, managers need a
playbook to keep their sales teams in track.
This is not an exhaustive list, but we must approach it from
their point of view, as if we were able to create their SWOT
analysis with them. This profile will give us a view into where
they might be thinking about potential investment
In addition, we also need to profile who will
be involved in the decision making process
for these issues, and that is what we mean
by PoliticalValue.
Understanding how our customers/
account/Business Units are going to
define value is step one. In order to be
able to create the best targets within the
customer’s buying process you need to
understand their potential business value.Potential Political Value
PotentialBusinessValue
High
HighLow

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The business profile uncovers drivers (either burning
platforms or growth imperatives) which then become
business initiatives – or projects that are then created to move
a business initiative forward.
Let’s use an example in the
beverage business. As a result of
our profile work, we understand
that our account has created
an initiative to grow revenue in
the direct to consumer business
(versus through a distributor
or agency). In order for the
initiative to be successful, the
account would need to reach
the customers directly via
the web, traditional direct mail, advertising, catalogs, brand
owned stores etc.They would then need to take and fulfill
orders in the same way – web, phone etc.
As they have never done this before, this initiative would
generate a number of projects. For example, the account
Business
Profile
Business
Drivers
Compelling
EventsBusiness
Initiatives
Critical
Success
Factors
• Consequences/
payback
• Potential value
• Decide among
projects
New Projects
There is also another part of the
equation – our potential solutions.
Don’t forget these; as we discuss
these potential new projects with
our account or customer, we also
need to be thinking about how we
might configure our products and
services to meet and fulfill the CSFs.
As we already mentioned, the first
step is to understand our account
or customer’s complete buying
process, an example of which is
represented here.
Most often, we find ourselves
engaged during the mid-to-
latter stages, or exploring what
we define here as Current
Opportunities. After that, we
then often focus our attention
on the actual deployment, when
we are often most vulnerable as
our customer begins to utilize our
products on their own.
might decide to create new call centers, or enhance its
Internet infrastructure. It could also decide to create a mailing
list to send out offers to potential customers directly. In order
to do this, they would need to
hire and train new staff, design,
develop and implement new
marketing projects to these
new segments, and buy new
hardware and software to
handle these new types of
orders and customers.
As the initiative gains clarity,
Critical Success Factors (‘CSFs’-
in other words, the criteria that
must be in place in order for our
account to decide to go ahead with this initiative) will
be outlined.
If we are part of the customer’s buying process – or back to
the fishing analogy: if we have moved upstream – we can
influence how the project will be defined.
Business
Profile
Business
Drivers
Business
Initiatives
Critical
Success
Factors
New
Projects
Potential
Value
Potential Solutions
Potential Opportunities
Evaluate
Business
Drivers
Set Goals
and
Launch
Initiatives
Identify
CSFs and
Launch
Projects
Determine
Approach
and
Process
Evaluate
Supplies
Negotiate
and
Purchase
Implement
and
Measure
Use
Solution
and Get
Value
Potential Opportunities
• Find, create or develop
Compelling Event
• Create competitive
advantage early
• Close = launch project
• Value = value of project
Current Opportunities
• Leverage Compelling Event
• Leverage Competitive
Advantage
• Close = win deal
• Value = value of solution

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These are both very important phases, and deserve our and
our team’s time. But this is also where the schizophrenia
comes in, because doing the work that we just described -
early in our customer’s decision making process, exploring
potential opportunities – requires that we use discovery,
creation and development skills, which are not necessarily
proving and negotiating skills.
PICKINGTHE RIGHTTARGETS
Now that we understand the customer’s process, the second
step is to understand how to pick the right targets, or decide
where to fish and what to fish with. You can use this model to
help you do that.
In our account management methodologies, we learn that
the vertical axis represents demand or potential value to
you. Those are the accounts or business units that we want
to target. But you also have to consider how difficult it will be
to pursue that potential value – so the horizontal axis is your
access to the account or Unit.
Obviously the ones that are low in both potential value and
access are not worth bothering with at this time. Ones where
you have easy access but are also low in potential value are
seductive – and we often waste time here by spending too
much time with little return.
The ones with higher potential value but low access are ones
that you will have to make a decision about, because they are
going to take a larger investment of time and effort just to get
in the door.
So the ideal targets are those with both high potential value
and where you have good access. If these represent enough
potential value to fill your pipeline – then you might feel you
can focus on these alone. We work with the Possibilities as
well.
So how do we determine potential value and access?
Remember some of the ideas that we just explored, about
creating that profile on or, ideally, with the customer.The
roadmap of Profile – Drivers – Initiatives and CSF’s gives us
the ability to see into the future for those projects that can
become potential opportunities for us.
Drivers, Initiatives and CSFs are the cornerstone of Account
Management Strategy Maps in our Dealmaker Smart Account
Manager solution, which provdes a methodology for linking
high value opportunities to the CSFs for specific customer
iniatives. Similarly, within our Dealmaker Smart Opportunity
Manager, the Collaboration Map provides a way for sales
people to help their customers map out their business
challenges and align them to their preferred solutions,
using the causal connection of Key Business Requirement –
Consequential Pains –Tactical Pains – Solutions.
Access
Demand-PotentialValue
High
HighLow
Possibilities
• High revenue
• High degree
of difficulty
Not Worth It!
• Too little revenue
• Too difficult
Targets
• High revenue
• Low degree
of difficulty
Possibilities
• Low revenue
• Easy

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PROJECT SELLING
So the third step to success is to
understand what to do during the
‘project selling’phase.This means
that we have to understand how
to work the early steps in the
customer’s buying and decision
making process, an example of
which is outlined here.
How do we make sure that we
create competitive advantage?
How do we sell the value of the
project and understand who the
key players are during this phase?
How is it different?
First, the customer’s perspective is different.They are focused
on evaluations and resourcing, not on picking a solution – not
yet anyway. The competitors usually aren’t other vendors
but are other projects competing for funds and resources.
These are alternative uses of capital that have to be decided
upon. Doing nothing or maintaining the status quo is also a
potential competitor.
The people involved in the decision making process may be
(and usually are) different.This part of the decision making
process is usually run by those who make investment
decisions, who set goals, objectives and strategies for the
business, the‘Inner Circle’.
Your role is different too – you are not selling the solution
but are trying to help the sponsor of the project.You’re
often asked for expertise, not for product information.The
conversations you will have will be about what‘value to them’
can be achieved
with this project,
not necessarily what
value your solution
can bring.
So, what do you
have to do to make
sure that a new
project is created
– and it becomes
a potential sales
opportunity for you?
What is the project
selling process?
First, make sure that you understand the priority for this
project and all competitors for funding. Next, make sure
that there is a sense of urgency for‘getting the project done’.
The risk and cost of doing nothing must be perceived as
greater than the new project risk and cost. And of course,
make certain that you create sponsorship so that the project
remains a key priority for the Inner Circle. Also check that the
political value of doing the project exceeds the risk of change
that is inherent in anything new.
Let’s now uncover and discuss the final steps that can
complete the‘create’new opportunities work that you do. The
first step to creating or confirming a compelling event is to
take a closer look at CSFs.This is where you can provide both
insight and help to your account.
Evaluate
Business
Drivers
Set Goals
and
Launch
Initiatives
Identify
CSFs and
Launch
Projects
Determine
Approach
and
Process
Evaluate
Supplies
Negotiate
and
Purchase
Implement
and
Measure
Use
Solution
and Get
Value
Project Selling
• Outcome = resourced project
and competitive advantage
• Value proposition = value of
the project
• Key Players = can affect or
affected by investment decisions
Solution Selling
• Outcome = signed contract
• Value proposition = value
of your solution
• Key Players = can affect or
affected by selection decision
PotentialValue
Organizational
Impact
Financial
Impact
Political
Impact
CSFsandCompellingEvents
Identifying CSFs
• Infrastructure
• People
• Processes
• Operations
• Financing
• Purchasing
Business
Drivers and
Initiatives

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Let’s return to the example of the beverage company that we
mentioned earlier. In order to be successful, they needed to
think through the answers to these questions:
• What was the necessary new infrastructure that they
needed to build or acquire in order to operate the new
direct to consumer selling strategy?
• What type of people did they need to hire?Who did
they have who could be part of this new business?
• Operationally, the impact was going to require that
they established new ways to receive and fulfill orders
• Most importantly, the owner was expecting this new
route to market to be self-funding and to increase
ROI by a certain percentage, as well as to be up and
running within less than 6 months period of time
The value of the potential solution that was required was
driven by all of these factors. How you go about gaining the
information that is outlined here is the next step to success.
First, recognize that you must analyze the people in the
Inner Circle versus those in the Political Structure. Second,
you need to establish who will play what role in making a
recommendation for the project – and who will be willing
to step up and support the Compelling Event. Third, you
must make sure that you and your supporters are completely
aligned on the CSFs and their link to your solution.
It’s all about your action plan to make your biggest
investment of all – your sales calls. In general you are looking
for visionaries or pragmatists – especially the former. Stay
away (if possible) from conservatives and especially laggards –
they tend to prefer the status quo.
Focus on providing insight into the CSFs and how they
are going to ensure value – organizational, financial and
political impact. Don’t forget to search for both the business
and personal agendas of the people who need to be your
supporters and sponsors for the project. You need to keep
confirming commitment to the compelling event which is
going to help convert the project to an opportunity.
SALES MANAGERS HELPINGTHE
SALESTEAM
We return to our fishing analogy here. It’s all about teaching
and supporting someone to fish. This means helping them
pick the right targets, keeping them focused, helping them
test and improve their action plan, and helping them make
the next best sales calls.
First, the manager must help select and then support the
ideal target customers or accounts, and they need to provide
support to select the appropriate solutions. Then, it’s about
helping sales people and sales teams keep focused. One idea
here is to maintain pressure and support by tracking potential
revenue, and by tracking‘further upstream’, meaning projects
that need to be resourced.
Managers also need to‘inspect expectations’. This can be
done with the sales team throughTarget Account Selling, or
‘TAS Plans’.They should be used to focus on project selling.
Finally, back to maintaining pressure, we all have to balance
between short term and long term. Creating opportunities as
we have been exploring here is about the longer term.There
has to be balance between those and current opportunities.
That’s the schizophrenia aspect again. Managers need to
provide the coaching as well as the pressure to be able to do
both! They should focus on the action plan and use PRIME
activities to drive projects and opportunities forward and
utilize resources (both internally and within the account)
effectively.

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SUMMARY
ThisWhite Paper has focused primarily on the idea that
there are best practices that we can use to‘create’new
business within our customers or accounts.
• First, focus on your customer – on their buying
process, understanding their upcoming
business initiatives and getting in there to
uncover the projects as they are being created
• Second, we walked through the idea that’s easy
to say but harder to do, namely to focus on the
best targets
• Third, we also outlined how to convert these
projects to opportunities with Compelling
Events
• Fourth, having a coach to help with analysis and
execution is essential
If you wish to find out more, please contact us at
info@thetasgroup.com.

8. ABOUTTHETAS GROUP
TheTAS Group helps progressive sales organizations increase their sales velocity resulting in higher win rates, bigger
deals, shorter sales cycles, and more qualified deals in the pipeline. Our unique value is deep methodology embedded
within intelligent Dealmaker software, 100% native in Salesforce. Smart coaching, delivered just-in-time, improves
sales performance and accelerates sales results.We have changed the paradigm of improving sales effectiveness from
traditional sales training to delivering sales methodology and insights when and where the sales person is working a
sales opportunity.
For more information visit www.thetasgroup.com
Copyright ©TheTAS Group. All rights reserved.This briefing is for customer use only and no usage rights are conveyed. Nothing herein may be reproduced in any form without written permission ofTheTAS Group.